Yosemite Sam, the arch-enemy of Bugs Bunny, is famously known to exclaim, "Jumpin' Jehoshaphat!" but it's not likely that the said toon character was aware of the origins of this expression.

Indeed, there isn't a lot known about the phrase, except that it first appeared in print in 1866 and is thought to be part of the 19th century predilection for "minced oaths" which embodied a strong expression of feeling without actually using potentially offensive words. Other efforts to relate the expression to the biblical Jehoshaphat seem to us to be somewhat forced.

In today's Checker School column, taken from Andrew J. Banks' unusual and instructive book, Checker Board Strategy, we meet a "Jumpin' Jehoshaphat" checker problem. You'll see what we mean when you solve it.

BLACK

WHITE
White to Play and Win

W:W13,15,17,18,21,27,28,29,31:B1,3,5,6,8,9,11,16,22

Jump to it! Solve the problem and then jump your mouse over to Read More to verify your solution.

Solution

15-10 6x15 13x6 1x10 31-26 22x31 18-14 31x24 14x7---A 3x10 28x3 White Wins.

A--- 28x12 11-16 14x7 3x10 12x3 15-18*---B 29-25 10-15* 3-7 15-19* 7-11 16-20 Drawn---C.

B---Black still has to be careful and must make several "star" moves.

C---If 11-15 then 18-23 and a clear draw.

So, why did we choose the "Jumpin' Jehoshaphat" name for this type of problem? It's not a stroke problem per se, but still involves plenty of jumping action. We hope you liked it.